Fence-making machine



(No Model.)

W. A. HAWLEY.

FENGB MAKING MACHINE.

N0. gaggnted Mar. 5, 1889.

N PETERS. PhowLilhogr-apbur. Walhingian, D. C.

linrrsn ETATES Parent @rrrcn.

WALLACE A. IIAVLEY, OF NAPOLEON, MICHIGAN.

FENCE-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,040, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed January 2, 1889. $eria1 No. 295,168. (No model.)

To osZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, \VALLACE A. HAwLEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Napoleon, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Making Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fence-making machines.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and effective portable apparatus which can be used for constructing picketand-wire fences in the field.

My invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a fence-making machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 a sectional view taken through the line 41: .r of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the line 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is an end view. Fig. 5 is a detail view.

The frame oi? the apparatus consists of an upper horizontal beam, A, and corresponding lower horizontal beam, A, to the under side of which is attached a shoe, (1, the ends thereof being rounded. These horizontal beams are connected to each other by vertical beams B, B, 13*, B and 15, these parts together forming a rigid frame. The vertical beam B is provided, to one side of its center, with three slotted openings, I), over which is secured by a bolt and nut, 71, an adjustable plate, C, which is provided with slots and b and also with perforations 1: (7, through which the wires pass.

13y raising or lowerin this plate (f the wires will be elevated or lowered and 1 guided to the twister-heads. In the vertical beams B, B, and B of the frame are openings through which parallel horizontal bars I) D pass, these bars being provided with heads (.7,

which are adapted to lie within recessesi zontal rock-shafts II II.

heads will lie flush with the outer edge of said beam when retracted. D are clips or shackles d, the threaded ends of which pass through openings in a vertical coupling-bar, E, and are fitted with nuts, thus rigidly coupling said bars D together, but admitting of adjustment of con pling-bar forward or back on these bars D on loosening the nuts on the clips (1. At opposite points on the coupling-bar E and beam B are pivoted the outer ends of toggle-arms e and 6, their inner ends being pivoted to each other and to a bar, E, the upper end of which passes through a slotted opening, e in the horizontal beam A, and this bar E is provided at a suitable point with a stop, a, which contacts with the under side of the beam A to limit the upward movement of the bar. \Vhen the bar E is depressed, the rods D D are retracted, so that the heads (Z will lie within the recesses, and when elevated they will be proj ected or thrown out.

The bar E, l'lGl'ElHbQfOl'C referred to, is provided at a suitable point with an outwardlyprojecting operating-handle, E as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The movement of the bars D D can be limited or varied by either adjusting the stop 6" or by looseuin the clips which attach the barE to said rods and moving said bar thereon.

The bar E is provided with an outwardlyprojecting pin which passes through a curved slot, f, in one end of the lever F, which is pivoted to the vertical beam 13, and to the opposite end of this lever, which is also provided with a short slot, is secured a movable bar, G, which passes through gnid c-openings near the ends of the horizontal beams A and A. This bar G is provided with two openings, g g, which are beveled from each side toward the center, and within these openings lie short cranle arms h h, which are rigidlykcyed to the hori- These shafts H II ext-end through the vertical beams B, B and B of the main frame and have suitable bearings therein, and their ends 71 are bent at angles to form downwardly and outwardly projecting hooks, the outer ends of which can be thrown to extend beyond the edge of the beam 13 when the bar G is de ncssed, which is caused by elevating the bar 15'. The opposite ends formed in the vertical beam B so that the of the bars Il ll are screw-threaded and-pro- Embracing these bars vided with suitable nuts to adjust them, so that hooks will be out a greater or less dis tance from the edge of the beam B as may be desired. \Vhen it is desired to adjust these bars H, the keys which hold the arms 71 thereon will have to be loosened.

To the edge of the beam 13 are secured spring-plates I I, which serve to hold the picket in place by spring-pressure when placed between said plates. These spring-holders are made up of suitable plates of spring metal, which are bent at right angles, the outwardlyprojecting portions thereof having their upper portions bent slightly outwardly, while the downwardly-depending portions are bent slightly inwardly. The outwardly-projecting portions of the spring-plates are arranged to be on a line with the twister-heads.

The twister-heads, which. are journaled between the vertical beams B and B have between said beams sprocketteeth, over which passes a chain, which is arranged, as shown, for operating said twister-heads and turning them in unison.

The center twister-head is provided with a beveled wheel, 7c, with which a beveled pinion, meshes, said last-mentioned pinion being operated by a suitable crank-arm, W, a bearing therefor being attached to the frame. These twister-heads are provided with pipes or tubes Z Z, which are bent to converge or be near together at their front ends. Instead of these tubes being bent, they may be placed in the twister-heads at opposing angles, so as to converge.

In constructing a fence of myimproved apparatus three pairs of wires are first passed .through the openings in the plate 0 and beam B. From thence they are passed through the tubes Z Z in the twister-heads and stretched between the posts, or between a post and tension device. The apparatus is then moved from the post a determined distance and the wires twisted to form a stop against which the first picket will abut, and apicket or slat is slid between the pipes in the twister-heads and enters the spring-holders, so as to be retained in position. Then by raising the bar E this slat or picket is moved toward the post and forced snugly against the twist just made, after which the twister-heads are turned to twist the wires about said picket. lVhen the bar E is depressed, the rods will be retracted and the device is in position for inserting an otherpicket. After the last-mentioned picket is inserted between the holders the bar E is raised, which will cause the rods D D to TDOVG forward to drive the picket out of the holder I and up against the previously-made twist in the wire, and as further movement of the picket is checked in that direction the continued movement of the toggle links or arms will cause the entire machine to move in the opposite direction until the hooks h, which have been thrown forward, engage the edge of the picket previously woven in and stop further movement of the machine. This operation is continued until the fence is made, when the wires at the end are loosened and the machine removed. After the pickets have been secured to the wires a suitable tension device may be employed for stretching the same.

It will be observed that by adjusting the bars II H and correspondingly adjusting the bars E the distance between the pickets can be varied.

lVith the hereinbefore-described device any form of twister-head may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I am aware that prior to my invention twister-heads have been operated in unison by a chain, and I do not therefore claim such construction broadly; but

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fence-machine, the combination of the horizontally-supported rods D D, connected to each other to move in unison by a connecting-bar, a lever engaging with said connecting-bar so as to operate a verticallymoving bar to which rook-shafts are connected, the outer ends of said rock-shafts be ing provided with hooks, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a fence-machine constructed substantially as shown, of the parallel rods D D, connectedto each other by a bar, E, which is adjustable thereon, a vertically-moving bar, E, provided with links 6 and e, and a pivoted lever having one end slotted for engagement with the bar E, said lever being secured to avertically-moving bar, G, with which projecting members of the rock-shafts II II engage, the ends of said rock-shafts being bent to form. hooks or looks, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, substantially as described, of the supporting-frame, the horizontal bars D D, the coupling-bar rigidly secured thereto, the toggle-arms connected at their ends to the frame and coupling-bar, and centrally to a-bar, E, adapted to slide in vertical guides on the frame, and an adjustable stop, e, secured to said bar E to limit the forward movement of bars D D.

4. The combination, substantially as de scribed, of the twister-frame, the hooked rockshafts journaled in said frame and threaded at their inner ends, arms secured to said rockshafts, a verticall -moving bar provided with openings to engage said arms, and nuts engaging the threaded ends of the rock-shafts to regulate the distance of the hooks from the face of the frame.

5. In a fence-machine constructed substantially as shown, the combination, with the horizontally-movin g bars D D, having heads, of a connecting-bar adj ustably secured to said rods and provided with an outwardly-projecting pin which passes through a curved ICC Slot in a pivot-ed lever, F, the opposite end of In testimonyv-lmreof Iaffix mysig'natm'e in said lever engaging with a vertically-moving 1 presence of two Witnesses.

bar for operating; the rock-shafts H, so as to throw, when the bars D D are projected, the

bent ends of the rock -shafts beyond the \Vitnesses: frame to engage with a bieket, substantially RALPH E. SNOW, as set forth. GEORGE POWELL.

XVALLAGE A. HAR LEY. 

